Also Released on DVD Single:
All Because of You (Video) (3:34)
City of Blinding Lights (Video) (4:35)

Background Information

“All Because of You” was the final single released from How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb in the UK, Europe, Australia and Japan, in October/November of 2005. It had been released much earlier in the year, in February, as a single in Canada. Although that Canadian version had a similar cover, the b-sides were entirely different from the fall release. Because of the differing b-sides and release date, the Canadian single is listed in a separate discography entry. (One further single from How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb—“Original of the Species”—was rumoured to be in the release schedule to coincide with the Australian leg of The Vertigo Tour. However, when that leg was postponed, plans for a commercial single were scrapped, although promotional copies were issued.)

Unlike the Canadian single, which contained the album version of “All Because of You,” the fall release included a new “Single Mix.” The new version was mixed by Steve Lillywhite and John Brough, whereas the album version had been mixed by Flood. The two-track CD format of the single included “She’s a Mystery to Me,” recorded live at U2’s promotional concert under the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City on November 22, 2004. This song was written by Bono and the Edge in the 1980s and originally performed by Roy Orbison on his final studio album, Mystery Girl (Bono produced and played guitar on Orbison’s version, which was also released as a single). The “All Because of You” single marks the first official release of “Mystery Girl” with U2 as performer. The three-track CD single included “All Because of You (Single Mix)” along with “Miss Sarajevo” recorded live in Milan on July 20th, 2005, and “A Man and a Woman (Acoustic).” This acoustic version is simply the album version of the song with the bass and drums stripped out of the mix. (Although the other European singles from How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb were released on 3-inch CD format as well as the standard 5-inch CD, this single was released on 5-inch CD only.)

A DVD single was also released, featuring the Phil Joanou-directed “All Because of You” promo video, the Alex Courtes and Martin Fougerol-directed video for “City of Blinding Lights,” and an audio-only track of “All Because of You (Single Mix).” The Joanou video had been shot on November 22, 2004 and released earlier in the year to promote the North American release of “All Because of You.” The band rented a flatbed truck and performed the song on the back of it as it moved them and their equipment across Manhattan. They performed the song multiple times as the truck made its way through New York City and finally crossed into Brooklyn, where a concert stage had been set up and U2 performed live under the Brooklyn Bridge for a TV special. The video shoot began around 11am near Columbia University and then worked its way through Manhattan, crossing Manhattan Bridge into Brooklyn at 4pm. (Live performances from Toronto in September of 2005 were filmed by director Lian Lunson for an expected second video for the fall single, but to date that video has not been released.)

“All Because of You” was a staple of early setlists on The Vertigo Tour, but would not be performed as often toward the end of the tour. It was performed a total of 96 times out of 131 dates. The song has not been played live since that time. A live version of “All Because of You” recorded at the Brooklyn Bridge concert was released on the iTunes EP “Live from Under the Brooklyn Bridge.” A live performance from May 9, 2005 in Chicago, IL was released on the “U2 Live: Vertigo 2005” promotional CD as well as the Vertigo 2005: Live from ChicagoDVD.

The album and single versions of “All Because of You” have not appeared on any U2 compilations to date. Another remix of the song, the “Killahurtz Fly Mix,” was included on some formats of the “City of Blinding Lights” single. An early “Alternative Mix” of “All Because of You,” featuring different lyrics, was included on the Unreleased and Rare album of The Complete U2 on iTunes, as well as on the fan club CD Medium, Rare & Remastered. “Miss Sarajevo (Live from Milan)” was released on the U2.Communication fan club CD. This July 20, 2005 performance is different than the one included on deluxe versions of U218 Singles, which was recorded the following evening, July 21.

As part of the promotion for this single, a cardboard wallet was made available by mail to residents of the UK who had previously registered online. These were sent out by Island Records UK and were not available in other regions. Shipped flat, they could be folded into a box which would hold the two CDs and the DVD released in the UK. The front and back of the wallet both feature artwork similar to that found on the singles.

Liner Notes

All Because of You (Single Mix):
Music by U2. Written by Bono. Produced by Steve Lillywhite. Recorded by Carl Glanville. Assisted by Chris Heaney. Mixed by Steve Lillywhite and John Brough. Backing vocals by the Edge. Keyboards by Jacknife Lee.

Miss Sarajevo (Live from Milan):
Music and lyrics by Passengers (Brian Eno, Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton, Larry Mullen Jnr.) Recorded live at San Siro, Milan on 20th July 2005. Recorded and mixed by Robbie Adams.

A Man and a Woman (Acoustic):
Music by U2. Lyrics by Bono. Produced by Jacknife Lee. additional production by Steve Lillywhite and Carl Glanville. Recorded by Carl Glanville. Assisted by Chris Heaney. Mixed by Jacknife Lee. Backing vocals and additional percussion by The Edge. Synthesizers by Jacknife Lee.

She’s a Mystery to Me (Live from Brooklyn):
Music and lyrics by Bono and The Edge. Recorded live at the Empire-Fulton Ferry Park, Brooklyn, New York on 22nd November, 2004. Engineered by John Harris for Effanel Music, Inc. Assisted by J Singer, H Kamsani, P Gary, G Allen. Mixed by Richard Rainey.